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Sheikh Ahmad Gumi says governments operating under Sharia law are justified in using public funds to sponsor mass marriages, describing the initiative as a legitimate responsibility of good governance.
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The Islamic scholar argues that supporting marriages helps address social challenges by providing lawful alternatives in states where prostitution, adultery, fornication and promiscuity are prohibited under both divine and state laws.
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His defence comes amid mounting criticism of Kano State’s mass wedding programme, with opponents questioning the use of taxpayers’ money for the initiative despite prevailing economic challenges.
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Gumi insists the policy should be assessed within the legal and social framework of a Sharia-driven state, reigniting national debate over the intersection of religion, governance and public spending.
August 14, (THEWILL) — A prominent Kaduna-based Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has defended the use of public funds to finance mass marriages, insisting that such programmes are not acts of charity but legitimate responsibilities of governments operating under Sharia law.
Gumi’s intervention comes as the Kano State Government faces mounting criticism over its mass wedding initiative, with opponents questioning whether scarce public resources should be deployed to sponsor marriages while pressing economic and social challenges persist.
Reacting to the controversy in a post published on his verified Facebook page, Gumi argued that governments administering Sharia law have both a moral and legal obligation to support marriage as a means of promoting social stability and preventing immoral conduct prohibited under Islamic law.
According to him, government-sponsored marriages should be viewed within the broader framework of Sharia governance rather than through a purely secular lens.
“In a Shariah law-driven state, where prostitution, fornication, adultery, and promiscuity are prohibited by both divine and state laws, using public funds to facilitate the marriage of women who are in excess of the available pool of eligible men, or of any young person in dire need of marriage, is a legitimate and responsible component of good governance”, Gumi wrote.
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Gumi Links Marriage Support To Public Responsibility
The Islamic cleric maintained that facilitating marriages for vulnerable women and young people unable to afford the costs should be regarded as a social intervention aimed at strengthening families and reducing social vices.
He argued that where governments criminalise prostitution, adultery and fornication under Sharia law, they also bear responsibility for creating lawful pathways through which citizens can meet those social and religious obligations.
According to Gumi, assisting individuals in dire need of marriage aligns with the objectives of Islamic governance and should not be viewed as an abuse of public funds.
His comments seek to reframe the debate from one centred on public expenditure to one focused on the obligations of governments operating within a religious legal framework.
Critics Question Spending Priorities
The remarks come against the backdrop of widespread public debate over Kano State’s mass wedding programme, which has drawn mixed reactions across the country.
Several northern states operating Sharia legal systems have, over the years, organised government-supported mass wedding programmes designed to assist widows, low-income couples and vulnerable young people who are unable to afford marriage expenses.
While supporters argue that the initiative promotes family values, reduces poverty and discourages social vices, critics contend that government resources should instead be directed towards pressing needs such as healthcare, education, job creation and infrastructure.
The controversy has also revived broader constitutional discussions about the extent to which state governments can finance programmes rooted in religious principles while serving diverse populations.
Despite the criticism, Gumi insisted that judging such policies without considering the legal and social context of a Sharia-governed state ignores the philosophy underpinning the system.
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